Temperance's Moment of Irrationality
by The.Squint
Summary: What happens when it all becomes too much to bear and the professionalism that Brennan strived to achieve crumbles? Will Booth be able to help pick up the pieces?


He silently stood hidden deep within the shadows. He had no intentions of making his presents known as he enjoyed watching her at work.

It was a Saturday evening and he and Bones had made plans to go over some case files that had been shelved and forgotten about. However, since Cullen was on his back 24/7 for them to be on his desk he had decided to ask Bones if she could spare her Saturday evening to help him get through them. Although, even with his average brain and her phenomenal brain power it would at least take them two hours to get through the whole lot.

He groaned inwardly.

As always Bones had agreed to give up her Saturday evening to help him. He would do it for her she had said, which he would of course. He would do just about anything. He had come to accept this fact and yet when he pondered on _just_ _how _much he was willing to do for this Forensic Anthropologist, he almost frightened himself.

She had told him to meet her outside the Jeffersonian at 7pm as she had decided on spending some time on the unidentified WWII victims that had been sitting in their cold white boxes for many years. Waiting to be named. To retrieve their identity.

At 7:10 he got out of his car. He had initially left his car to retrieve her from whatever bones she may be examining but when he had seen her hunched over another skeleton, he stopped in his tracks. He had stood observing her in her moment of rationality; her hair was pulled back in a simple pony-tail, her hands wore blue latex gloves, her body wore a blue Jeffersonian jacket that flattered her curves. He listened to her soft breathing, her voice full of concentration as she spoke into the tape recorded, her soft noises as she found something interesting. Her face held a light frown, her forehead glistening with sweat of concentration, her eyes focused.

She was beautiful. That was what amazed him most about her; it was that she simply didn't realise how beautiful she really was. After all the men she had been with, after all the compliments, she still just hadn't realise the extent of her attractiveness.

However, unlike her ignorance when it came to her beauty, she certainly knew about her IQ and that bloody doctorate of hers. she would boast about it in almost every chance she got, although that had also been something he had come to love about her. He chuckled silently thinking about one of the first times they had worked together.

"_I'm not the one who has to mention she has a doctorate every five minutes -"_

"_I am the one with the doctorate"_

He smiled lightly at how far they had come since then. Thinking back to times like those he couldn't believe he had almost let such unique woman leave his life, because he knew he wouldn't be the man he was today if it wasn't for her. For this he would always be grateful, not that he would ever tell her.

He tilted his head slightly, she had been standing with her back to him on the platform for the past 5 minutes and he was beginning to wonder if she had finished. It was only when he saw her shoulders lightly shake that he realised something was wrong.

"Hey, Bones" he spoke very lightly and yet she jumped from her skin and turned to face him. He stepped out of the darkness and walked up the steps to the platform, swiping his card to allow him access. He stood looking into her eyes for only a second, but in that second that their eyes met across the skeleton in the space between them he not only saw the tears that lay mixed within her crystal blue, but he could almost feel her need for comfort. After the initial shock she pulled her eyes from his and began to wipe away the evidence of her moment of weakness.

"Booth, is 7oclock already? I'm sorry I must have lost track of time, give me five minutes and I -"

"Hey Bones. This is me. Tell me what's wrong?" his voice reflected the concern he felt.

"Nothing Booth. Its just me being irrational" she seemed angry with herself. The scene in front of him hurt him more than he imagined it would. She sighed deeply, her voice still shaking to take control. "I shouldn't let things like this get to me. Its not professional" she shock her head steadily.

Slowly he looked at the skeleton on the examining table and calculated its size. The person that lay feet from him was not an adult and he felt the unwanted familiar feeling of ice cold enter his insides and the sudden felling of emptiness spread through him. He was mesmerised by this forgotten soul and was reminded of why he had chosen the job he had. Bones had obviously seen him staring and decided to throw technical science at him, although her voice still contained the pain that was so evident.

"He was - I mean the _victim _was male. Roughly 13-16 in age, 5ft 2inchs in height, although due to his size and build I'm guessing he was - the _victim… _was between 13-16 years. I assume he lied to join the army and ended up here, sixty-seven years later. If you look at the shape of his pelvic bone you can see… you can see the bullet that…" he looked at her and realised that after her many years of professionalism and rationality it had all become too much for her to handle.

Again her eyes filled with tears but this time she did not avoid his gave, instead she held Booths gaze. Slowly he made his way over to her and stood so he was facing her. Her tears had began to fall gracefully across her cheeks and he instinctively reached up with his hand and with his thumb wiped them away.

"You know, we all fall down sometimes Bones" his voice a husky whisper.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his open palm. After several seconds she reopened her eyes and looked straight at him. It was the kind of gaze that made him believe she could see right through him. "but Booth, what if one day I don't have the strength to pick myself up?" her voice quivered. Her bottom lip trembled.

Bending his knees slightly he came to her level and moved in so that his face was only centimetres from hers. "You will"

"you cant promise that" her voice now seeming to gain strength.

"I can and you know why?" she tilted her head ever so slightly, giving him the impression he should continue. "Because I will be there to stand as your strength and I will help you rise again"

"Will you always be there?" her voice sounded so tender that he fought the urge to engulf her in a well needed embrace.

Looking deep into her shimmering eyes he spoke with as much sincerity as he could muster. "as long as you want me."

The whole world seemed to stop still. Frozen. He suddenly felt as if it was only him and her, in a world without murder, tears and pain. He stood staring at her eyes for what felt like a lifetime, and yet he could have stood there longer. Her eyes reflecting the flashing lights surrounding the platform and slightly bloodshot, her cheeks were faintly flustered, her lips looked inviting. He watched as her dampened face brightened into a warm smile and he felt his stomach contract somewhat. That smile of hers was his most prised moment of each day.

"Then you should be around for a while" her voice sounded like her old-self; the confident, boastful, beautiful Brennan. The woman he loved. The sentence she had just said would most certainly remain in his memory, to be replayed for the rest of his life.

He gave her his most dazzling smile and once he was confident she was happy once more he stood straight and kissed her gently on the forehead before finally pulling her into his arms.

While they shared one of their more meaningful 'guy hugs' that wonderful sentence of hers floated through his mind. _Then you should be around for a while. _He would fall asleep tonight with a goofy grin on his face he was sure of that.

Reluctantly after 3 minutes he released her and taking hold of her shoulders, told her of his new plan. "Bones, tonight we are going to go to the Diner and I am _finally _going to get you to eat a slice of pie, how does that sound?" he looked at her hopefully, but as he watched her perform one of her famous eye rolls he could predict the answer.

"But Booth I don't like pie _and _we still have all that paper work to do" she looked at him stubbornly.

"Nah, that can wait. Right now…" he placed his hand on the small of her back and began leading her away from the platform. "we have got a date with some very alcoholic drinks and some very sweet pie" he smiled teasingly.

She stopped dead "Date?" she sounded serious although he wasn't sure if what he could see was true or if his mind was playing evil tricks on him, but he thought he could see a hint of a smile on her face. His heart began to race. He swallowed nervously.

"Not a date between _us, _but a date with the world outside Bones. _I…"_ he pointed to his chest proudly "am going to cheer you up Miss Brennan in the best way I know how"

Again there was a stronger hint of a smile on her face, but this time her eyes seemed to glow.

"How is that exactly?"

"We get extraordinarily drunk" he said very matter-of-factly and shot her a cheeky smile.

"But wont Cullen be mad at you if we don't do the paperwork?" she was being stubborn.

He nodded his head slowly "Yeah. But your worth it" he saw her blush lightly and wondered if one day she would see beyond the actual words he spoke to his true feelings beneath them. He saw he open her mouth to protest but cut her off "Temperance, I am not taking no for an answer, and once you have your coat we will be on our way" she closed her mouth and stood defeated.

"Okay, but don't blame me when Cullen shouts at you on Monday"

Again he rested his hand on the small of her back and began to lead her down the stairs of the platform when she suddenly stopped and looked back onto the table which held the boys remains.

She spoke very quietly "I just need to put him away" she nodded to the skeleton that lay on the table and smiled lightly. Although despite this comment she stayed stationary and before he had even had time to think she had closed the gap that stood between them and had planted her lips on his. He stood full of shock and confusion, eyes wide open, he didn't have time to think, let alone kiss back. After two seconds she pulled away and stared into his eyes.

"Thank you for picking me up Booth" with this comment she began to walk to the table and slowly picked up what was left of the once forgotten boy and began replacing him into the box that he now belonged.

He stood with a deep frown until his mind had caught up with what had actual happened in the last six seconds. As his brain comprehending what had just happened he felt the frown evaporate and was replaced by a gentle smile. Lightly he reached up and touched his lips, where hers had just been moments ago and relived that moment. Her lips were silk soft and although it had felt more like a kiss you give to your second-grade girlfriend, he couldn't help but feel the need to laugh hysterically with the amount of adrenaline and happiness that now coursed his veins.

For one glorious moment he thought of the kiss they had shared under the mistletoe last Christmas under the watchful eye of Caroline. And as always that memory began to trigger fairytale thoughts, full of maybes and what if's. He sighed deeply. He had thought of what their first kiss would be like more time than he had had hot dinners, but the kiss they had shared was not full of the passion and heat that he had imagined but he came to a conclusion that the kiss, however small was in fact perfect. And to him, he liked to believe a stepping stone into perhaps fulfilling his fanaticise.

Looking at her as she placed the final bones of the young boy into his frosty box he felt such a sensation that words couldn't even describe. He silently prayed to God then and there for one day, when ever that may be for that wonderful woman in front of him to be his forever more.

But until that day arrives he promised himself that he would be her rock, her partner, her best friend and be ready to catch her if she is ever to fall again.


End file.
